Talking Cancer-Cancer Talking: A Linguistic and Thematic Analysis of Patient Narratives.

To explore "the lived experience" of patients with cancer through narratives, in-depth interviews with 20 patients were conducted in the patients' homes-"at the kitchen table." Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed following the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) methodology. Thematic Analysis was used to explore themes in the narratives.

Perceived autonomy support in individuals with Parkinson's disease requiring emergency care: a cross-sectional pilot study.

Background: Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) report a diminished perceived functional autonomy as their condition progresses. For those seeking emergency care, it is unknown whether the patient-physician relationship is instrumental in respecting patient autonomy. This study evaluated patient autonomy ideals in individuals with PD requiring emergency care and the perceived support for autonomy from emergency department physicians.

Business case for psychosocial interventions in clinics: potential for decrease in treatment discontinuation and costs.

Research Question: From a value-based healthcare (VBHC) perspective, does an assessment of clinical outcomes and intervention costs indicate that providing cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or mindfulness to women seeking fertility treatment add value compared with no such intervention?

Design: Proof-of-concept business case based on a VBHC perspective that considers clinical outcomes and costs. Potential effects on psychological and fertility outcomes were based on existing research. Cost outcomes were estimated with a costing model for the Dutch fertility treatment setting.

Narrative medicine pinpoints loss of autonomy and stigma in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease characteristics can create a self-perceived sense of stigmatization and disapproval by others, thereby affecting self-perceived autonomy. This study investigated the metaphors related to the loss of autonomy and stigma in stories and drawings of Parkinson's disease. We compare a contemporary first-person illness narrative and -drawing from a person with Parkinson's disease, with two novels (Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections and Claudia Piñeiro's Elena Knows), a graphic novel (Peter Dunlap-Shohl's My Degeneration: A Journey Through Parkinson's), a non-fiction book (Oliver Sacks' Awakenings) and a first-person illness narrative (John Palfreman's The Bright Side of Parkinson's).

Mapping EORTC-QLQ-C30 onto EQ-5D-5L Index in Indonesian Cancer Patients.

Objective: This study aims to develop a mapping algorithm for EORTC QLQ-C30 to EQ-5D-5L which can produce utility values in patients with cancer.

Methods: We used a cross sectional study design with 300 cancer patients. The research instruments used were EORTC QLQ-C30 and EQ-5D-5L.

Torn between two lovers - on being a psychologist in a university medical centre.

Background: Psychology as applied to health and illness has a relatively short history. Nevertheless, that history shows a rapid development of the theoretical models that guide the field over the past 60 years. Core theoretical approaches are concisely reviewed, in the context of Kaplan's paper 'Behavior as the central outcome in health care' (1990), which is used as a model to examine the extent to which these approaches embrace Kaplan's notions.

Identification and Characterization of ACP-5862, the Major Circulating Active Metabolite of Acalabrutinib: Both Are Potent and Selective Covalent Bruton Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors .

Acalabrutinib is a covalent Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor approved for relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma. A major metabolite of acalabrutinib (M27, ACP-5862) was observed in human plasma circulation. Subsequently, the metabolite was purified from an in vitro biosynthetic reaction and shown by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to be a pyrrolidine ring-opened ketone/amide.

Comparable effectiveness of 45- and 20-min post-infusion scalp cooling time in preventing paclitaxel-induced alopecia - a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Scalp cooling can prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). Previously, the post-infusion cooling time (PICT) could be successfully reduced in docetaxel-treated patients from 90 to 45 and 20 min. Therefore, it seems plausible that the PICT can be shortened for paclitaxel-treated patients as well.

Looking bad: Female patients drawing their representation of chemotherapy-induced alopecia.

This study explored the experienced impact of alopecia using patient's drawings. Forty patients made drawings of their feelings about appearance of their head and hair before and during chemotherapy. Patients also reported illness perceptions (B-IPQ).

Effects of a Self-Monitoring Quality of Life Intervention in Outpatients with Breast Cancer: A Preliminary Report of A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: This preliminary report used data from a randomized controlled clinical trial to investigate the beneficial effects of a self-monitoring quality of life (SMQOL) intervention on communication, medical care and patient outcomes in Japanese women with breast cancer.

Methods: This study compared a SMQOL intervention group with a control group that received usual care after 4 months on self-efficacy aspects of patient-physician communication among outpatients with breast cancer in Japan using the Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Physician Interactions (PEPPI) questionnaire. Patients were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups using permuted-block randomization.

"Dear hair loss"-illness perceptions of female patients with chemotherapy-induced alopecia.

Objective: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is one of the most common and distressing side effects of chemotherapy treatment. This study aims to assess the illness perceptions of female patients dealing with CIA, and their associations with demographic and clinical characteristics, coping strategies, and quality of life. The secondary aim was to compare the illness perceptions of patients with CIA with other samples, to help elucidate the specific perceptions of patients with CIA.

Illness perceptions and health-related quality of life in individuals with overweight and obesity.

Introduction: To understand how individuals (self-)manage obesity, insight is needed into how patients perceive their condition and how this perception translates into health outcomes (e.g., health-related quality of life, HRQOL).

Patients Prioritize a Low-volume Bowel Preparation in Colitis-associated Colorectal Cancer Surveillance: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) undergo surveillance colonoscopies at fixed intervals to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Taking patients' preferences for determining surveillance strategies into account could improve adherence and patient satisfaction. This study aimed to determine patient preferences for CRC surveillance in IBD.

Perceptions of Japanese and Dutch women with early breast cancer about monitoring their quality of life.

Objective: Monitoring quality of life (QoL) in patients with cancer can provide insight into functional, psychological and social consequences associated with illness and its treatment. The primary objective of this study is to examine the influence of cultural factors on the communication between the patient and the health care provider and the perceived QoL in women with breast cancer in Japan and the Netherlands.

Methods: In Japanese and Dutch women with early breast cancer, the number, content and frequency of QoL-related issues discussed at the medical encounter were studied.

Novels as data: Health humanities and health psychology.

Novels represent a corpus of data that offers innovative opportunities for research and theory in health psychology. This article discusses how adding 'health humanities' to health psychology opens up a potentially rich domain for research and clinical application. The concept of 'health humanities' is discussed and put into a context of related fields.

Writing cancer.

Purpose: Novels and autopathographies that employ cancer as a central theme offer a wealth of opportunities for researching the way patients with cancer make sense of their illness and its treatment. Such literatures can also inform clinical care, because they can support patients in living with their illness. The use of novels and autopathographies for research and care in persons with cancer fits within the framework of 'Health Humanities', the interdisciplinary field where medicine and social science meet.

Quality of life and illness perceptions in patients with breast cancer using a fasting mimicking diet as an adjunct to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the phase 2 DIRECT (BOOG 2013-14) trial.

Purpose: In the phase II DIRECT study a fasting mimicking diet (FMD) improved the clinical response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy as compared to a regular diet. Quality of Life (QoL) and illness perceptions regarding the possible side effects of chemotherapy and the FMD were secondary outcomes of the trial.

Methods: 131 patients with HER2-negative stage II/III breast cancer were recruited, of whom 129 were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either a fasting mimicking diet (FMD) or their regular diet for 3 days prior to and the day of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

A TASMAN Expedition: Development of a Questionnaire to Assess Specific Self-Management Abilities.

Introduction: Self-management (SM) is a core component of well-being and perceived health for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Most theories on SM share that self-efficacy, illness-perception and coping are determinants of SM behavior. Optimal support to improve SM should be tailored to the individual patient's level of these determinants as SM abilities vary between patients.

Chemical genetics strategy to profile kinase target engagement reveals role of FES in neutrophil phagocytosis.

Chemical tools to monitor drug-target engagement of endogenously expressed protein kinases are highly desirable for preclinical target validation in drug discovery. Here, we describe a chemical genetics strategy to selectively study target engagement of endogenous kinases. By substituting a serine residue into cysteine at the DFG-1 position in the ATP-binding pocket, we sensitize the non-receptor tyrosine kinase FES towards covalent labeling by a complementary fluorescent chemical probe.

Using a quality of life (QoL)-monitor: preliminary results of a randomized trial in Dutch patients with early breast cancer.

Purpose: The diagnosis and treatment of cancer negatively affect patients' physical, functional and psychological wellbeing. Patients' needs for care cannot be addressed unless they are recognized by healthcare providers (HCPs). The use of quality of life (QoL) assessments with feedback to HCPs might facilitate the identification and discussion of QoL-topics.

Discovery of quinoline-based irreversible BTK inhibitors.

Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) is an important target in oncology and (auto)immunity. Various BTK inhibitors have been approved or are currently in clinical development. A novel BTK inhibitor series was developed starting with a quinazoline core.